Commewijne

Commewijne is a district located on the eastern border of Paramaribo. Commewijne and Paramaribo have been connected since 2000 via the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge. In the past, people had to cross the road by ferry, which arrived at Meerzorg. The surface of Commewijne is 2353km2 and had at the last census -in 2012- 31420 inhabitants. Commewijne is subdivided into 6 districts, of which New Amsterdam is the capital.

More than 47% of the inhabitants of Commewijne are of Javanese descent. The Javanese are the last group of contract workers who were brought to Suriname to work on the plantations. The last plantations were active in Commewijne, so that a large part of these Javanese were deployed in Commewijne. The Hindustani also form a large group in Commewijne. Just like in the district of Wanica, Commewijne has several unique residential areas where predominantly Javanese / or Hindustani live. This division was also created through a conscious form of divide and rule policy by Governor Kielstra. Commewijne is currently changing diversity. This change is because neighborhoods with public housing were set up and many workers from different sectors were eligible for a piece of land. Military Project and Sisters Project are 2 of these districts. In the District Commewijne there are nowadays, two banks, insurance companies, and several eateries. The Resort Tamanredjo is known for its various warungs. Warung is a Javanese word for "Restaurant or Eethuis".

The Commewijne district is one of the oldest cultural areas in Suriname and is known for its large plantations. Unfortunately, these plantations are no longer active, but the remains of these plantations are nice and interesting museums for tourists. Commewijne is a unique place to be because with little travel time you can arrive from Paramaribo in an area where nature can be observed well. Furthermore, the different plantations have their own history and historical stories, and there are still visible remnants of Slavery on the plantations, such as buildings and machines.